Chuck Versus the Wrong Man
by Apathetic Mortal
Summary: When Ring agents kidnap Neal, thinking he's Bryce, it's Team Bartowski to the rescue. At Beckman's order, Peter, Mozzie, and Jones fly down to help save an innocent, for the most part, conman.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: First crossover fic! Yay! I'm not very good at details and filler, so everything happens kinda fast & the chapters are short, but I'm really trying to get better! Maybe some mild whump and the chance of a little language (nothing corse). Not really sure when this all takes place because I wrote it waaay before the EXPLOSIVE finale of White Collar! Love the fic? Hate it? Please tell me!

"Neal, where are you? I thought I said to meet me at the office ten minutes ago."

Peter was getting frustrated at the conman, but he was more upset by the fact that no one had listened to him when he said to come in early that morning.

"Sorry, Peter," Neal said into the phone as he walked out of the coffee shop a couple streets away from the FBI building,

"I got a late start. If it gives you any consolation, I don't think I was the only one to forget."

"You're right. How are you always right?"

The man laughed, shaking his head.

"Time change, remember? Everyone lost an hour."

"I should have known. You never answered my question, where are you?"

"Hey, no need to panic, I'm just around the corner. See you in five." He said, glancing at his watch, and ended the call with Peter.

Little did they both know that Neal wouldn't be coming into the office at all that day.

He never knew what hit him. All Neal remembered was going around a corner and being tackled to the ground. Someone was on top of him, twisting his arms behind his back, and before he could think to call out for help, another set of hands grabbed his hair and pressed a rag to his face.

"Hurry, do it." He heard a man say, and felt his anklet being cut before everything went black.

When Peter got the call, he knew something was wrong. Neal had said he was five minutes from the FBI building when Peter had talked to him, and the monitoring system showed that he was. Then the anklet was cut, just like that. Having been so close to the site, it took the FBI less than two minutes to get to the street where Neal went off the radar. They found nothing there except the anklet, lying in an ally that served as a short cut between streets.

"Jones, I need you to see if any of these businesses have surveillance footage, maybe they picked something up. Cruz, take a team to see if anyone around here saw something."

Peter ran a hand through his hair, suddenly feeling very helpless. He was sure Neal had nothing to do with cutting his anklet, but who did? He could only hope they found something to point them in the right direction. In the mean time, he needed to talk to El. As much as Peter hated to bring his wife into all of this and cause her to stress out, he really needed to talk to someone who cared about Neal as much as he did.

"Peter, is everything okay?"

She could always tell when something was wrong, even before he said anything. It was just one more thing he loved about her.

"El," He sighed, this was going to be tough, "El, Neal's anklet was cut when he was less than five minutes from the office."

Peter heard her gasp, but she was quick to recover.

"You put that almost like _he_ wasn't the one to do it. Do you think...?"

"It's possible, he still has a lot of enemies. None of this makes sense, either. I had just been on the phone with him no less than a minute before the anklet was cut."

"Peter, I don't care what it takes, you have to find him before anything happens."

"You know I will, El. I've got to let you go, I have to make some calls. I promise to let you know if we find something."

After he got off of the phone with his wife, Jones and Lauren showed up empty handed, at a loss for what to do next. Peter thought for a moment before stepping into his office to make a series of calls. Finally, after almost an hour, he got put through to a general.

"The FBI were told to call this number if something unusual happened. I think you might be interested to hear what just happened."

The woman showed little interest in Neal's disappearance until Peter faxed over his file. He heard a gasp from the other line, and was given instructions to get on a flight to California immediately.

"Is there anything I need to know?" He asked, confused by her change of tone.

"This is exactly what we were looking for Agent Burke. You can bring only one or two other people with you, preferably agents, I will have a ride waiting for you at the airport."

"Anything else, General?"

"Yes, I would like to know who you have chosen to come with you, if it isn't too much trouble."

The tone of her voice told Peter that she wanted to know whether it was too much trouble or not.

"Agent Clinton Jones and a friend of Neal's, I'm sorry, but I can't seem to remember his name."

"Can you trust these men?" She sighed.

Peter considered Mozzie for a moment, then replied.

"Yes, I trust them, with my life and Neal's."

******

"It's not him, we were set up!"

"Of course it's him! What makes you say it isn't?"

Neal groaned, and stirred a little, but when he tried to open his eyes, he found himself blindfolded.

"We never would have stood a chance if it was really him. He didn't put up a fight. I'm telling you, we've been duped."

Neal heard the other man sigh.

"Look, she said it was him, so it's him. Our job is to take him in, not question our mission."

In the silence that followed, Neal became aware of a numbness in his hands and feet, and realized that his captures had tied him up a little too tightly. Zip-ties. Neal hated zip-ties. They couldn't be picked like handcuffs, and couldn't be easily cut like rope. He could probably get out of them if he had something sharp, or an object small enough to press down the little piece of plastic that kept them in place. The only other thing he could gather was that they were driving, possibly in a van. Neal tried to remember what had happened, but it was still a blur. He knew he had been talking to Peter, which meant he would know something was wrong when Neal didn't show up for work. That thought encouraged him a little. He wished he could see, but then again, when these men found out he wasn't whoever they thought he was, they wouldn't they feel the need to "off" him just because Neal saw their faces. The ride was hours long, probably even days, but Neal couldn't have been sure. Whenever the men thought he was getting too fidgety, they were quick to press the rag to his face, leaving him unconscious for another couple of hours. After loosing count of how many times this happened, the vehicle finally pulled to a stop, and rough hands gripped his arms as the men half dragged him out of the van.

******

"Bartowski, yogurt."

Chuck was just explaining the advantages of upgrading from a computer built in the eighties to a much newer model (to a stubborn customer stuck in a time-warp) when Casey appeared from behind a shelf of video games. It had been almost a week since their last mission, so Chuck wasn't surprised at the call for a briefing.

"Um, excuse me." He said, dashing off before the customer could protest, leaving her shaking her head disapprovingly.

General Beckman shuffled a stack of papers on her desk before beginning, and glanced over her glasses at Chuck, Sarah, and Casey.

"The FBI has contacted us with a case that looks to be directly related to the Ring, and it has become apparent that could be the lead we were looking for that might shut them down once and for all."

"What's the mission, General." Casey asked while motioning for Chuck to pay attention.

"A consultant was kidnapped less than five minutes from the FBI office in New York City. From the information they have provided, this seems to be a job done by experts, done by the Ring. There was no surveillance video of the grab, and the pedestrians claim that they saw nothing."

"Any idea as to why they took this guy?"

"It has something to do with this." Beckman sighed and held up a picture.

There was a collective gasp from Team Bartowski; the young man looked almost exactly like Agent Bryce Larkin.

"Is that...?" Chuck never finished his question. A series of images featuring mugshots, print-outs of recorded phone calls, and an FBI agent flashed before his eyes.

"That is not Bryce. He's Neal Caffrey, a conman who's working with the agent who arrested him as an alternative to another four years in jail. This guy is good at what he does, but he's definitely not the spy he looks like."

"You are correct Mr. Bartowski, Neal Caffrey is not Agent Larkin, yet the Ring seems to think he is. Your mission is to find him, and the facility where they are keeping him. Our intel have pinpointed the location to somewhere here, in California. FBI agents Peter Burke and Clinton Jones, along with a friend of Mr. Caffrey's are flying down to Burbank as we speak. Meet them at the airport in three hours. Remember, this is about shutting down the Ring as well as saving the life of an inn- of a civilian."

General Beckman had almost called Neal innocent, but seeing as his record was less than clean, she decided to go with another word. Before anyone had the chance to ask questions, she logged off and the screen went blank.


	2. Chapter 2

Neal was not in New York anymore. He knew that as soon as he was taken out of the van and felt the warm sun beating down on him. However, a split second later, he was back in the shadows, being lead through some type of building or wear house, where no light seeped in at all. Neal heard voices coming from the far end of where ever he was, and one voice - a man's - sounded eerily familiar, but that was impossible, that man had been dead for years.

Someone pushed Neal into a chair, and he could hear the sound of more zip ties securing his hands to it before they removed the blindfold. Still groggy from the trip, Neal had to blink several times before he could make out the figures standing in front of him. One man was handing two others an envelope most likely filled with money, so it was safe to assume these were the men who kidnapped him. When Neal was finally able to make out the three people standing around him, he couldn't help gasping in surprise; surely his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Robert?!?"

The man turned after paying and dismissing the other two men, and there was no doubt about him being exactly who Neal thought he was.

"That's Agent Moreau to you, Neal. Or should I say, Bryce."

"What?" Neal couldn't think to say anything else, he had no idea who Bryce was, or why Kate's father was alive and calling himself an agent. It all felt like a really bad nightmare, except Neal knew this was quite real.

"I know all about who you really are, so there's no use denying it. Why do you think Kate stuck with you all those years, even for most of your prison term?"

"Kate?" He wished he could come up with more than one word questions, but Neal was unable to form the words on his tongue that were already in his head.

"Don't worry, my daughter doesn't work for the Ring; I just told her we needed a little help finding someone. Although, I do feel guilty for what we're going to do to you; I think she actually fell in love with her mark, but you didn't hear it from me."

"Look, I'm not whoever you think I am! What does Kate have to do with this?"

At last, Neal was able to string together a couple sentences that he hoped would come out right. He was still trying to get over the fact that the man he had thought was dead for six years was standing in front of him, telling Neal he was Kate's mark. He had no idea what 'the Ring' was, so that would be his next question, if he got the chance to ask one.

"Stop playing stupid, Bryce. My patience is wearing thin, and I wouldn't suggest trying it. You may be able to fool the FBI, but you can't fool the Ring. I had Kate make sure it was actually you this time when we got the tip. Of course, our plan to grab you had to wait almost four years when that FBI agent found you, but the wait payed off. Kate confirmed the suspicion we had all along - we had really found the infamous Agent Bryce Larkin."

"I swear, I don't know what you're talking about! Please, you have to believe me!"

Neal saw stars when Robert's fist collided with his jaw, causing the chair he was tied to to fall on it's side from the sheer force of the blow. Sure, Neal had experienced his share of cheep shots, but never had one brought forth such blinding pain.

"You might not be in the mood to speak freely to me, but where that team takes you is a place which will make even the toughest men talk."

He left Neal on the floor, shocked and truly, deeply frightened for perhaps the first time in his life.

******

"Agent Peter Burke?"

Casey was waiting by the car parked on the tarmac where he was supposed to meet the agents from New York. Technically, only two of the three people were agents, and it was easy to pick out the two who were.

Agents Burke and Jones shook hands with him, while the other man stood there nervously, eyes darting to each of the agents. Casey wasn't sure he could trust the strange man, but Burke seemed to, and he wondered what their connection was. He could feel a background check coming on as soon as he got the man's name.

"And you are?" Casey asked while the two agents loaded their suitcases into the trunk.

"Call me Haversham, and that's all you're gonna get out of me, Fed."

Casey grunted, and motioned for them to get in as he slid into the drivers seat.

"If this turns out to be some kinda sick set up to get me busted, you're gonna regret in, Peter."

The agent rolled his eyes at the man's paranoia, but responded anyway.

"I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of buying your plane ticket if this was a set up, so you can relax. Neal needs our help, Mozzie, he's in serious trouble."

The black, government issued car was a little cramped, so Peter nabbed the passenger seat before Mozzie could complain about being stuck in the back with Jones. Colonel Casey was a man of few words, Peter decided, mostly because he didn't say a word until they pulled into a parking lot of some kind of healthy eating place. The Orange Orange? Peter was about to ask why they had stopped here when Casey handed them each blindfolds.

"Put those on, we're about to go into a top secret government facility."

Peter and Jones complied reluctantly, but Mozzie fussed until Casey offered his "hard way" option, and then he was more than happy to cover his eyes. Mostly.

"Hey!"

Casey had pulled Mozzie's blindfold tight after catching on to him trying to cheat, making the outline of his glasses visible through the fabric.

"No peaking." Casey said, his smile probably showing in his voice.

Minutes later, the three men looked around in awe at the inside of Castle. They didn't have long to marvel, for Casey introduced them to Chuck and Sarah, who were busy looking through photos of people; most of them in suits, with an exception of a few.

"Hi, I'm Charles, Charles Carmichael, but you can call me Chuck." Peter looked at the young man skeptically, he didn't look like an agent. Then again the blonde didn't look like an agent either, more like a model. The world is full of surprises.

"We have some pictures that we want you to look at. Hopefully you'll recognize some of the people, and from there we can figure out who in Mr. Caffrey's life is a Ring agent." Sarah greeted.

"A what?" Jones suspected he wasn't the only one who didn't know what this Ring thing was.

"They're the bad guys, really bad; that's probably all you need to know. They are also the ones who have your friend."

Chuck knew he hadn't made much clear, but at least he gave some kind of explanation to the confused men. Casey grunted, making it obvious to Chuck and Sarah that he was thinking: _did you really expect the **FBI** to know anything about the Ring?_

Peter, Jones, and Mozzie sifted through the pictures, recognizing many people, such as Neal's landlady, June, but after showing them to Chuck, he said none of them had anything to do with the Ring.

"Wait a minute,"

Everyone looked at Mozzie as he lifted a photo from the pile on the table.

"This is Kate's father."

"That's a recent picture, look at the date it was taken." Peter pointed to the numbers at the bottom of the picture.

"Wait a minute. Didn't Kate's father die almost six years ago?"

"I guess that's what we were led to believe."

Mozzie handed Chuck the picture, who, after just a glance, drew a sharp breath.

"Agent Robert Moreau, he's been with the Ring for most of his life, since he was in his twenty's. His mission for the past six years was to track down Bryce, who he now believes is Neal Caffrey. His daughter is Kate Moreau, I think that's her picture."

The photo he pointed to was the same one Neal had, the hand on her shoulder belonging to the "Man with the Ring". Chuck studied that one next, flashing not on Kate, but on the ring on the other person's hand. It was a ten year FBI pin, but this one had been stolen to use as a decoy, the man who took it none other than Robert Moreau.

After revealing this to the rest of the room, Peter was left speechless. All along they had been fooled into thinking it was a fellow agent involved in the twisted case of Neal, Kate and the infamous "Man with the Ring". The entire thing, music box included, had been a decoy to throw them off of the trail. Thinking about it now, Peter would much rather have had it been what they previously thought, it certainly would have been less complicated.

**A/N: This coming week might be busy for me, so I might take a little longer on the next couple chapters. No worries, though! I'll try to get one up tomorrow and another before Friday!**


	3. Chapter 3

It still struck Agent Moreau as odd that Larkin hadn't tried anything yet, but maybe he was waiting for the right moment, or something Robert didn't know about. He couldn't imagine what; the team would arrive any minute, and the spy would be carted off to a much more secure facility. It was not as if this place wasn't secure, but one couldn't be too careful when dealing with a man like Larkin; he had already slipped out of the Ring's hands more than once.

Robert was beginning to become annoyed with his daughter. She kept telling him that she had made a mistake, and this man was not the agent the Ring was after, but he knew better than to believe her. Kate had fallen for Larkin, which wouldn't have been hard, and now he was fooling her into thinking he really was this 'Caffrey' character. How dense did he think they were? It wouldn't be long before Agent Larkin told them the truth, in fact, in a days time, he will be willing to tell the Ring his whole life story - not to mention the ones of his fellow agents. Those men at the facility were that good. Now, Agent Moreau could only hope his daughter didn't do anything stupid to endanger the mission.

*******

"Neal?"

It was barely a whisper, yet all the same he heard it. Night had barely fallen, and he had been waiting for the people Robert - or _Agent_ Moreau - had told him about. The man had not reappeared, and Neal was still on his side; his shoulder aching and his jaw stiff with pain. He could hear people, lots of them, pacing around the building, and occasionally, a few would check in on him to make sure he had not escaped. _Guards_, he thought.

Neal had closed his eyes, hoping to fall into some sort of sleep when he heard the voice - _her_ voice. At first, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, until he saw her.

"Kate!" He kept his voice down as much as he could.

"Are you alright, did they hurt you?" She was by his side in a flash, cutting the zip ties that bound him to the chair.

He stood up stiffly, and despite what Robert had said, he was overjoyed to see Kate, and not just because she had freed him.

"I- I'm fine," He managed, "We need to get out of here." Neal took her warm hand in his, and recalled with a jolt that it had been almost four years since they had touched.

"Follow me, I know a way out. I promise that I'll explain everything as soon as we're safe."

Kate led him to a utility closet near the back of the building, and opened it to reveal a mop bucket flipped upside down and insolation scattered over the floor. Neal looked up at the opening in the ceiling that had been jaggedly cut away. After giving her a boost, Neal pulled himself up after Kate, using the mop bucket as a stool.

They crawled silently through the cramped, dust filled space, not daring to make a sound for fear of someone hearing. Neal was just wondering how Kate had managed to do all of this when she stopped; they were at a dead end, or so he thought. Kate pushed on the sheet metal carefully, revealing the night sky. The drop the the ground was shortened by the stack of wooden pallets under the opening. It looked as though she had thought all of the escape through.

Neal looked around, eyes adjusting easily to the dark after being shut up in a light deprived warehouse. They were in the middle of a warehouse district, the metal buildings looming around them in every direction. They ran silently through the ratty alleys between the buildings for what seemed like miles, before stopping to catch their breath.

"Kate, you have to tell me what's going on." Neal said between gasps.

"I'm so sorry, Neal," she said, obviously distraught, "It's all my fault. I told them you were Agent Bryce Larkin, and I thought you were, just like they did."

"Who's _they_?"

"The Ring, even I don't know the details, but my father is a part of them. They're some type of anti-government. The agent they're looking for has something they want, and they think you're him."

"So everything was a setup? The music box, Fowler, our relationship?"

Neal could hardly bring himself to say those last words, but he needed to know the truth, even if he couldn't bear thinking the woman he was in love with did not love him back.

"Fowler was just a pawn, but the music box was real - it had intel that the Ring needed," Kate paused, looking into the young man's intense blue eyes, "In the beginning, our relationship was set up for the Ring's purposes, but now... I wouldn't have helped you if... Neal, I think I love you."

After everything he had been through, hearing those words from Kate made it all worth while. Neal tenderly touched her cheek, and drew her face closer to his. Their lips were less than a hands breath away when the first shot rang out.

Neal could only watch in horror as Kate fell to the ground right in front of him, and he barely managed to catch her in time. More shots were fired, and he felt a burning pain in his calf as a bullet from a rickashey hit him as he tried to find cover.

"We need him alive! Stop shooting!"

The gunfire ceased immediately, and Neal could hear the men approaching, but he couldn't move. Warm blood slid down the back of his leg as he tried to shift Kate to were he could see her face. His breath came in rasps as he felt for a pulse, praying that she was alive, and unable to accept the fact that she might not. Neal was flooded with relief temporarily when he could feel a pulse, but the relief was short lived given the situation.

"Ne...Neal?" Her eyes fluttered open, and he pushed her hair out of her face.

"Kate, where are you shot, where does it hurt?" His eyes darted over her body, but it too dark to see where the wound was.

"My head." She winced, and Neal panicked.

What if there wasn't anything that could help her? What if...? Trying to quell the shaking in his hands - not only from the fear of Kate's injury, but also from the men who were about to find them hiding behind the scrap metal - and cautiously ran his fingers over Kate's head. He came in contact with a warm, sticky substance that he knew only too well, and felt bile rise in his throat.

"It's just a graze." He told the barely conscious girl, when a bright light was shone on them.

Neal looked up to see, not Robert, but another man standing over he and Kate with a dozen other men. This was the team the Ring had sent, and they looked ruthless.

"Nice to see you again Agent Larkin."

_Again?_

The man motioned for the others to grab Neal and Kate.

"She's been shot, she needs help!" Neal struggled to hold on to the now unconscious Kate, but the men were too strong.

"Really? Interesting," The Ring agent turned to another one of the men, "Take her as well. If Larkin has trouble talking, she might be needed to help him."

"No, don't you dare touch her! That's Agent Moreau's daughter!"

The rage that shone in Neal's eyes would have been enough to made any man back down, but he also hoped that as the daughter of an agent, Kate would get fair treatment and be spared.

"What Agent Moreau doesn't know won't hurt him."

**A/N: Really sorry about the wait! I decided to do a chapter centered on Neal this time, so the next one will probably be Team Bartowski and friends at work to find him!! Hopefully, the next chapter will be up by this weekend! I'm also working on the next chapter for Chuck Versus the Feud, so that one should be updated shortly as well! =D!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is definitely not as long as I wanted it to be, but I'm working on the other chapter right now! This is kind of from everyone's point of view, but it's still in the third person. Also close to completing the latest chapter for Chuck Versus the Feud!!**

"So you're telling me we just have to sit here until you get some clue as to where he is?!?"

Peter was furious, and not just because he had not slept in over twenty four hours. The supposedly reliable agents were now telling him that it was going to take more time than they expected to find Neal, and on top of that, they said that is was too dangerous for Peter, Jones, and Mozzie to get too involved in the mission. Everything seemed to be spiraling out of control, and the three men had not even been in Burbank a full two days.

"I wish we could do more, but right now, we just don't have anything to go on. I'm sorry Agent Burke."

Agent Walker seemed to genuinely care, but Peter was still too fed up to be grateful. Now that Agent Carmichael and Colonel Casey were gone to work at their cover job, he felt that even less was being done to find Neal, and he was tired of it. Even Agent Walker had to leave to serve the customers in the yogurt shop, which basically left the three men twiddling their thumbs until all of the agents returned.

"Give me something to do then! I'm tired of feeling so helpless! Why did the General even want us down here if we can't do anything to help?"

"You _are_ helping, but there is only so much we can do with the information we have."

Peter had similar conversations with Casey and Carmichael, but only the latter proved to be any help. He looked at Peter in awe all of a sudden, and interrupted him in the middle of a complaint.

"That's it!" He exclaimed, "I think I know what to do. Agent Burke, if you can just hold on a little longer, I know someone who can help us. It might take a while to get ahold of him..."

"I don't care how long it takes, just get it done so we can help Neal!"

The agent scampered off, murmuring "Why didn't we think of this sooner?"

"Have any idea what he's up to?"

Jones appeared at Peter's side, starring after Carmichael trying to make sense of what he might be intending to do.

"I don't know, but if it means bringing us one step closer to finding Neal, I don't care."

"I feel the same way, boss."

"Hey," Peter jerked his head around, "Where's Mozzie?"

*******

Sitting in the darkest corner of the too bright Orange Orange, Mozzie slurped on a fro-yo and eyed the few customers distrustfully over his news paper. The shop did not generate nearly enough business to stay open, so he assumed the government had a hand in keeping the company afloat.

"Typical." He muttered quietly to himself, deciding on the spot that he would never look at a shop the same way again, in fact, he would probably never leave the safety of his storage unit unless it was an absolute emergency. First, though, he would have to get home, which he doubted happening now that he knew the location of a top secret government base.

Truthfully, it was all worth it if he was helping to save Neal. However, right now, he felt like there was nothing being done at all, which frustrated the man to no end. Mozzie figured the agent's never knew what it was like to have a friend, so they most likely did not feel the way he did. So be it. If Mozzie had to find Neal all by himself, he would! Leaving his yogurt on the table, he sauntered casually toward the door, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

"Haversham! Where do you thin you're going?"

Mozzie visibly gulped when Colonel Casey yanked open the door before he could reach it.

*******

What kind of fool did that little moron take him for? Stuttering on about going out to buy a new pair of shoes... Haversham was really starting to get on Casey's nerves, but he played nice for the time being - all but dragging the little man back down to Castle.

It was already feeling crowded down there, and Casey was tired and ready to go home, trim and water his bonsai tree, and go to sleep. Apparently, he would have no such luck.

"Casey, we need your help! Chuck just thought of a way to get Caffrey back, I can't believe we didn't do this sooner!"

Sarah shoved a box of papers into his hands, and he examined them to find surveillance photos, as well as lists of phone numbers, names, and locations.

"Oh, God no! Not him!"

Sarah couldn't help it when a smile crept to her lips.

"We could really use his help. Now, you better start going through those; this might take a while."

Casey only growled, and rolled his eyes. Was there _really_ no other choice? He guessed there wasn't, but that did not keep him from trying to think of a way out of calling Bryce Larkin for help.

******

"Excuse me, I'll just be a moment."

He spoke in French upon feeling the vibrating of his phone in his pocket. The young man had broken off in the middle of a conversation with a table of French diplomats, so the call had better be important. The screen real unknown caller, but he was used to that.

"So sorry, it's my wife, I have to take this." He spoke again in French, and the other men at the table nodded knowingly - they had all had their fair share of nagging wives.

Walking out of the restaurant and into the cool night air, the real Bryce Larkin answered his cell phone as soon as he was far enough away.

"Yes?" He answered in English, "...Chuck? How did you... right, never mind... Wait, are you sure?... Of course I will; any chance to take them down. Okay, no problem, fill me in when I get there."

Bryce pressed a button on the phone and threw it in a near by trashcan, where it began to smoke as it self-destructed. The diplomats would have to wait. Chuck sounded urgent on the phone, and from what he told Bryce, this mission would be a lot more interesting than sucking up to rich Frenchmen.

******

Chuck had his fingers crossed, and finally, after suffering through thousands of dead-end phone calls, a familiar voice answered on the other end.

"Bryce! It's Chuck... we kinda have the perfect setup for finding people... Look, we need your help. I can't go into detail, but the Ring has shown up again, and they kidnapped a man who they think is you... Yeah, you should see his picture... This might be the perfect opportunity to destroy a major part of the Ring, and we'd be saving someone in the process. Can you help?"

Chuck held his breath, let out a long sigh when Bryce agreed to fly to Burbank, and hit the end call button on his phone.

"What did he say?"

Agent Burke was the first to ask, and Chuck replied quickly, seeing that the man was on the verge of shaking the answer out of him.

"Bryce said he's on his way."

Jones clapped the other man on the back.

"See, we're gonna find him, there's nothing to worry about."

*****

Peter felt like he could rest, at last - the agents were fairly confident in the man they had called. Peter furrowed his brow as he remembered something.

"Is this the man the Ring is mistaking Neal for?"

"Yes, Mr. Caffrey and Agent Larkin do share an uncanny resemblance to one another. When you meet him, you'll understand how the Ring could have made a mistake."

Peter nodded absently at Sarah's answer.

"You said he boarded the plane last night? That should mean he'll be here any minute."

She looked at the clock on one of the computers in surprise.

"You're right!I need to find Chuck and Casey so we can brief him on the situation as soon as he gets here. We've wasted enough time already..."

At last, the agent felt the same way he did, but probably for entirely different reasons. Shutting down the Ring would take priority in saving Neal, so it would be up to Peter, Mozzie, and Jones to make sure that job was done.

******

Mozzie sat in his corner again in the Orange Orange, another frozen treat in his hand. He felt like a weight had been taken off his shoulders when the menacing NSA agent left for his cover job, but continued to jump at any little noise he heard. The fact that people like Colonel Casey used everyday places where people shop as a cover frightened him even more, and Mozzie wondered how much more it would cost to do any necessary shopping online. Drat. First he would have to get a computer to do that, and that meant going into an electronic store like the one across the street - most likely swarming with undercover FEDs. So much for that idea. Maybe he should liquidate some assets and disappear for a while... but only if they found Neal. _No_, he corrected himself, _when. When we find him._

Trying to keep his paranoia under control, Mozzie gazed out into the parking lot of the strip-center, watching shoppers come and go - blissfully unaware of anything going on in the world around them, or even beneath their feet. A black convertible pulled up in front of the Orange Orange, and Mozzie was tempted to wonder what one could get for a car like that.

A man with dark hair and sunglasses got out of it and strode in through the door just as Agent Walker appeared behind the counter after stepping out of the storage and freezer area. The man removed his glasses as he stepped inside, and the cup of fro-yo in Mozzie's hand slipped to the floor. Luckily, there were no other customers at the moment, but the two people who _were_ there turned to him, taken by surprise. No one had even noticed him sitting there. Mozzie could only stare at the new customer, and he became aware that his mouth was hanging open.

"...Neal?" He managed to get out in a shocked whisper.

**A/N: Hoped you liked the little surprise! Got the idea to introduce Bryce into the story by Apollo199199, who deserves a special thanks! The story is definitely going to take off, so stick around! I'll be posing as many chapters as I can!! The next one will be mostly or completely centered around Neal!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry in advanced for a bit of language in this chapter!**

_Those bastards! Those cold, heartless bastards!_ Neal ground his teeth together, both from the pain in his leg and in frustrated anger at the new Ring agents. They had refused to even clean or put a bandage on Kate's head, and Neal had no other choice than to stare at her blood-matted hair in anguish. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her and make sure she was okay, but both of them had been cuffed securely by their hands and ankles with mechanisms that Neal wasn't sure he could pick even if he had all of his tools.

The new, windowless automobile shook as it traveled down what must have been a bumpy road, and any hopes of opening the back door and rolling out to freedom were dashed by the speed of the van, as well as the agents keeping guard over their two captives. Six of the agents sat in the back of the van, all of them stoney-faced and emotionless, while two others sat up front, the driver being the agent who led the team. Neal had seen the rest of the team drive away in separate vans, and he assumed that was to throw anyone off of their trail, but he doubted they had to worry about that.

Trying to flex his hands to keep them from falling asleep in the tight handcuffs, but they were already feeling numb. How long had they even been driving? It felt like an eternity, but depending on what was waiting for them, Neal wasn't sure he wanted the ride to end.

He was taken by surprise when the van went over one last, huge bump before gliding onto a smother surface. Without having his hands in front of him to steady himself, Neal was unable to prevent himself from being tossed around the van like a rag doll, and groaned when he felt his head make contact with the hard metal floor.

The van pulled to a stop as he tried to push himself up, wanting to make sure Kate had not been injured further, but her back was to him. All Neal could gather was that she was still unconscious, as she had been since they were caught. She needed medical attention - it was never good to be unconscious with a head injury for that long, or at least that was what he had heard. The door in the back of the van opened, and Neal was yanked to his feet and pulled out, but Kate was left in the van for the time being.

He soon found himself facing the agent who had apparently met Bryce Larkin before.

With any luck at all, the man would see that they had the wrong man, but either way, Neal felt it was safe to assume he was a dead man. They would kill him on the spot when they learned the truth, and they would most definitely torture him to get information that he did not have. More importantly, however, was Kate. He couldn't let anything happen to her, so Neal did the only thing he thought could save her.

As he concentrated on putting on a face which showed no fear, he heard another agent speak to the man.

"Agent Kane, there's something you might want to see."

"Not right now Gordon."

The other man scampered off, and Neal addressed the agent before he could start speaking.

"It's certainly nice to see you again, Agent Kane."

"So you _do_ remember. I hope this means you remember other things too... such as the information we need."

Neal made an effort not to gulp before he answered.

"I might, but everything's been a bit blurry lately. Let the girl go safely, and my memory just might come back to me."

Agent Kane studied Neal for a moment, as if contemplating what to do.

"We can't do that, at least not just yet. Not until you give us something useful to go by."

"You drive a hard bargain."

He didn't know what else to say, for he had no idea what sort of information the agent expected to get. If only he could make sure Kate was safe _before_ they figured out he was bluffing- as if it wasn't obvious enough already. It was getting harder to keep up the look of being calm and collected when two men had a very strong grip on his upper arms, his handcuffs were chafing, and his look and general attire were a mess.

"That is one of many things I pride myself in."

"Here's my proposition for you then: contact Agent Moreau. He's going to want to know where his daughter is."

"Is that all?"

"Yes. I know I won't leave this place alive, so there's no sense in asking for something I can't have. Just contact Agent Robert Moreau, I won't talk until you do."

How he managed to keep his voice from shaking was beyond him, but Neal considered it a miracle. Did he really thing Agent Kane would comply?

"What's stopping me from killing the girl, and torturing the information out of you? We're quite skilled at that here."

"So I've heard. But I can promise you this: if she comes to any harm, I tell you nothing - that's something you can count on. Another thing you might want to keep in mind is that Agent Moreau loves his daughter very much, and when he finds out you were responsible for anything that's happened to her, my best advise to you is hide."

Did he really just say all of that? The likeliness of things turning out the way he wanted was slim to none, but if Neal could convince Agent Kane to contact Robert, it might just turn out well. At least for one person. Neal didn't think it likely for Kate's father to sit back while she was in danger. The relationship might have been a cover, but whenever Kate spoke of him, she made it clear he was incredibly protective.

"Agent Bryant, get me in contact with Agent Moreau," Neal let out a breath when Kane said this, "That wasn't so hard, perhaps I should start negotiating with all of subjects before resorting to the less than desirable methods. Now, if you don't mind, this is going to sting, a lot."

Neal only had time to glance at the syringe before one of the agents used his hair to yank his head back while the other plunged the needle into his neck. Shapes and colors swirled together in his vision, turning white and then black as the sedative coursed through his veins, and Neal fell into a void of emptiness.

*******

Never again would he get his daughter involved with a mission, however simple it appeared! At first he was furious, realizing immediately that Kate was the only one who could have helped Larkin escape. One of the guards had come running in, notifying him that the chair and warehouse were empty. Agent Moreau had been about ready to send out a team to search for the agent when he got a call that Kane's team had arrived and captured Larkin. He was relieved until he thought that Kate could very well had been with him. Then, he was worried, which was a foolish thing for an agent of the Ring to do. His daughter hadn't returned or called him, and when Robert ordered surveillance footage to be pulled, his worst fears had been confirmed.

From a camera positioned on a warehouse directly across from them, he watched his daughter and Larkin stop in between the buildings. He clenched his hands into fists when he say how close they were to each other, but would have suffered through watching something like that any day compared to what he witnessed next.

Kate went limp, and nearly hit the ground, when Larkin caught her and dove behind some pallets and scrap metal. He could see the sparks of bullets hitting the buildings before they stopped suddenly. It looked like the young man had been hit too, but Robert payed little attention to Larkin, more worried about the woman that the agent held in his arms. He was perplexed for a moment at how he moved her as if she were made of delicate glass, and the way the agent looked down at her as if he were truly concerned. For a minute, Robert wondered if it was possible the man was simply Neal Caffrey, not a cover, but an actual man. But he shook that though away immediately and concentrated on what was happening on the screen.

Agent Moreau was set to kill Agent Kane when he watched him stride up to where his team had surrounded the two. He could not tell if his daughter was alive or not, but from the way Larkin reacted, it looked as if she was. Robert replayed the video from the time the two little figures appeared on the screen to the time they were dragged off, looking for any clue that could help him figure out where his daughter was taken.

It was just as his hope was beginning to fade when Agent Moreau got the call.

"Moreau." He spoke into the cell phone, voice dead.

"Hello Robert, it's Ernie."

"Kane, you son of a bitch! Where's my daughter?"

"She's fine, and that's why I'm calling. Our mutual friend Agent Larkin suggested I get in contact with you."

Robert slammed his hand down on top of his desk.

"Dammit, I don't care what he suggested! Just tell me where she is! I saw the surveillance video, I know she's hurt -"

"There's nothing for you to worry about, like I said, that's why I'm calling. She's being taken care of until we make sure Larkin gives us what we want."

"I swear, I you so much as-"

"Robert! You and I both know I would never intentionally hurt Kate, but Larkin doesn't. If he believes she's in danger unless he cooperates, it will make things that much easier on us."

"Fine. Let me know when I can take my daughter home."

For the first time in a long time, Robert Moreau felt like he was about to be sick. He had not believed a word Ernie Kane had said. If Larkin wouldn't talk, he would use any means necessary to make him, even if that meant bringing in the daughter of a fellow agent. Agent Moreau did not get where he was today for nothing, and all of his training experiences had kicked in while he was on the phone with Agent Kane. He thought he had a good idea where they had taken Kate just by listening to the background noises, and even thought they were kept to a minimum, he was positive he heard the sound of rumbling in the background.

That noise could only mean one thing: the base was the one underneath the rock processing plant the Ring used as a cover. Robert left without telling anyone, just in case they were connected to Kane and could inform him of where Robert was going. He was getting his daughter back one was or another, even if it meant betraying the Ring.

**A/N: Whew! Got this one up as fast as I could without butchering it completely! Hope you like the little twist of events with Robert! Next chapter will be up soon! I'll be adding more action and whumpage too, just need a little time to perfect everything!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Fluff Warning for my author's note!**

**A/N: Boy oh boy, have I been lazy! Thousand apologies for everyone who has had to wait forever and an eternity for an update! Really really sorry!!!! Another chapter is already in the works, so that one should be up soon, hopefully won't take as long as this one. I blame it on a terrible bout of writer's block, laziness, and work! Whumpage in this chapter, and more to come in the next! No action, though, but that will come along soon! Already have the entire story in my head, but I need to find a way to put it into works & have it still look pretty! Without further ado, I present chapter 6!!**

Peter tried, he really did, but he could not help starring at Bryce Larkin in amazement. But at least he wasn't alone in doing so: Jones and Mozzie shared the same expressions on their faces as well. The young man could have been Neal's twin! However, Peter quickly noticed some things that set them apart. First of all, he had no problem with guns, seeing as Larkin was quick to pull one on Mozzie upon their first encounter in the yogurt shop. Sarah had very quickly told him Mozzie was with them, and despite an apology from Bryce, the little man kept shooting cautious and distrustful glances in the agent's direction. Also, Larkin was every bit of a CIA agent, getting straight down to business where Neal would fool around like a bored child. He seemed older too, although it was entirely possible that the agent was younger than Neal.

As Peter contrasted Bryce's personality from Neal's, he quickly noticed traits that were eerily similar to his friend and partner: he had the same swagger that Peter saw Neal pull off with perfection, and the same suave air of someone who looked good and knew it. Where is was annoying, yet slightly humorous with Neal, Peter thought that it was just plain irritating with Larkin. He decided that his frustrations with the agent were probably only because he wanted Neal back, and that it felt like there was nothing that could be done to do so.

"It's been almost two days since the Ring has kidnapped Caffrey, so we don't have any time to lose. I have a pretty good idea of where they're keeping him; it's set up under a rock-processing plant, but nearly impossible to find, and even harder to get out of. Believe me, I had to escape from the place once, but it's there, and we'll find it. What we really need is a solid plan before we go in."

"How about busting in there and shooting as many Ring agents as we can."

"I was thinking something a little more subtle," Bryce gave Casey a sideways glance, "If we storm the base, guns blazing, we would all be killed, including the man we're trying to save."

"So then what if you were seen by one of these agents? If they realized they had the wrong man..." Jones knew he was grasping at straws, but any idea as to how to save Neal was good enough to be mentioned. However, Bryce just shook his head.

"They'd only kill him. Whatever happens, I can't be seen until we rescue Caffrey."

"Ah, guys, it might be a little late for that."

Everyone looked at Chuck, who was pointing to the surveillance monitor. Six men, clearly Ring agents, had just walked in to the Orange Orange.

*********

**Four Hours Eariler**

His head felt like it was going to explode, made worse when he tried to open his eyes. The light was blinding, and he snapped his eyes shut immediately, wincing. Neal was slowly starting to become fully aware of his senses when he heard the voices.

"You know what to do when he wakes up... I have to go see what Agent Gordon had to show me, it sounded urgent."

"Of course. Oh, I think he's coming to as we speak, shouldn't keep my patient waiting."

"Right, and Mulligan? I do need him somewhat alive by the time you're through; this is Bryce Larkin we're talking about. It would be a shame kill him before we learned all there is to know about him, as well as his fellow agents."

Mulligan glanced over at Neal, who was watching the two men with wide eyes, and then turned back to Agent Kane.

"That shouldn't be a problem."

Neal began to strain uselessly against the straps that bound him to the cold metal gurney when he had been able to get a glimpse of the instruments lying on one of the many tables and countertops that the otherwise empty room had to offer. He didn't have to know what they were to know what they could do to a person, namely, him.

Neal heard Agent Kane leave, and he tried to lift his head to see what the other man was doing with the instruments on the table, deciding he would gladly relive his experience at the Howser Clinic if it meant getting away from this place.

Sure, it had seemed brave to pretend to be who the Ring thought he was, but now, he was having major second thoughts. However, the Ring did not appear to be made up of the type of people who would react kindly when they found out he was not Agent Larkin. But if it meant a quicker death...

_No! Remember, this is for Kate. I will _not_ take the cowards way out!_ He tried to calm himself down, succeeding only for a few seconds.

What scared Neal the most was that the man had not said anything to him as he did this; he just watched Neal and studied each instrument as if to decide which to use first. Having picked the tools of his choice, Mulligan appeared at his side, rolling Neal's shirt sleeve up over his elbow before swabbing his unprotected arm with disinfectant.

Neal wanted nothing more than to jerk away when Mulligan unveiled the singularly, most frighteningly large needle the young man had ever seen. The man hooked it to an IV tube, which was attached to a bag filled with some type of thick looking fluid with a bluish-green tinge, and tapped the vein on Neal's arm. He shuddered and bit his lip as Mulligan pushed it none to gently into his arm. Then, for the first time, he spoke to Neal:

"Hello Agent Larkin. You might think that you won't talk, but I can promise that every agent I've met have snapped under my treatments. Right now, a poison called _igneus venenum* _is finding it's way into your bloodstream. It is, for the most part, harmless is small doses, but still quite excruciating as you will soon find. If too much poison enters the body, however, your death is sure to follow unless proper medical attention is given. Seeing as we have no actual doctors on on our little base, you will soon have quite a problem on your hands. That is, unless you tell me everything the Ring needs to know."

"Well, from the way I see it, you'll be the one with the problems once my friends get here."

Neal hoped that he could pull of the brave facade that he was sure the real Agent Larkin would have no trouble calling forth. All the same, he was beginning to feel the first affects of the _igneus venenum_ as the liquid moved sluggishly down the IV tube and into his arm. What did that name mean, anyway? Something venom or poison, or at least that was what the second word sounded like, and the first one sounded like ignite. Ignite venom? That was not even close to being right. Now he wished he had paid more attention in high school Latin, instead of flirting with the girl sitting next to him.

He had hoped that maybe if he let his thoughts wander like that, he would not be able to feel the affects of the poison as greatly, but Neal was wrong. His body spasmed involuntarily as the first waves of what felt like a blazing fire hit him. The burning coursed through him, surging through every fiber of his being, introducing the young conman to a whole other world of pain. Neal tried to draw in a breath, but his lungs felt like they were filled with smoke, and he could only gasp and cough.

"I wouldn't bet on your friends rescuing you any time soon if I were you. That said, anything you feel like mentioning before we continue?"

"Yeah," Neal barely managed to get out, voice choked with pain, "Wh- when my buddies show up... make sure they know... to put any hospital fee on someone else's tab. I am _not_ paying for any... of this."

******

He was close, he was so close! Why did the base have to be so damn far away? All Robert Moreau could think about as he floored it in the truck he had taken was rescuing his daughter, as well as the satisfaction he would get in killing Ernie Kane. Yes, he would kill him, that was all there was to it. No one _ever_ threatened or hurt his little girl and got away with it! Kate was all he had now, and he was not going to lose her the same way he lost her mother and sister. And if he got there too late, there would be hell to pay for all of the Ring.

_Kate will be fine._ He assured himself, deciding that either way, the other agents had it coming. With that idea set, Agent Moreau did a mental count of his weapons and number of bullets as the truck sped down the pothole laden road, kicking up huge clouds of dirt as it went.

*****

He was gone, she couldn't find him anywhere! Kate wandered through endless streets, looking for Neal. She knew that he should have been there with her, but Neal was no where to be found. In fact, now that she thought about it, there was no one but her roaming the streets of New York City. That thought should have bothered her, but all she really wanted to do was find the man she loved. Kate moved to sit down on a curb, distressed almost to the point of tears. It was then that she began to fall. There was no time to scream, or even think - she could only fall,

down...

down...

down.

Kate awoke with a jolt, snapping her eyes open as her heart fluttered. She sat up slowly, putting a hand to her sore head, and drawing it back upon feeling the dried blood. That was when the night's events flooded back to her, and she looked around the dark room in alarm. Where was Neal? No one else was in the dark room, so she could only hope that Neal had gotten away. But in the pit of her stomach, something told her that he had not.

The little spring mattress squeaked as Kate swung her legs over to get up, the room swaying in her vision as she did so. She took a moment to steady herself before getting up to walk around the room, searching for a way out. It was at that moment the door in the far corner opened, and someone flicked on a light switch. Kate held a hand over her eyes, temporarily blinded. When she could see again, she recognized the agent who stood there.

"Agent Tebeck! Please tell me you're here to take me to my father."

"I'm sorry, Kate, but no," The older man shook his head sadly, "Not yet, at least," He added when he saw Kate's frightened look. "I did bring you something to eat, though."

He set the plate down on a small, round table by the door.

"I am getting out of here though, right?"

"Of course! Agent Kane wanted to keep you here just in case -"

Agent Tebeck broke off abruptly, realizing too late that he should not have spoken.

"'Just in case' what? Tell me why I'm still here, Nicholas."

"I-I'm so sorry." He took a step backwards toward the door.

"Wait. Please, just wait," Kate took a few steps closer to the agent, "Can you at least tell me where Neal is?"

Nicholas Tebeck gave her a questioning look, and Kate thought that maybe he really had gotten away. Then, she remembered that they all thought he was Agent Larkin, and her heart sank.

"Bryce Larkin, is he here? Did they catch him?"

The agent looked down at the floor.

"Yes, he's here."

"Where is he, is he okay?"

After a long pause, Tebeck looked up at Kate.

"He was fine when you arrived, from what I could see. He... he's with Agent Mulligan as we speak."

For a long moment, Kate almost forgot to breath. She knew all about Mulligan and his techniques - all of the agents she was around bragged about him. Then it all hit her, and Kate made to rush to the door. Agent Tebeck was too quick, and shut and locked it before she could get out.

"Forgive me, Kate."

He spoke through the door before walking away, as Kate continued to bang on it with her fists.

"No! Please! The Ring made a mistake! He's not Larkin! Don't do this to him, please!"

_Oh, God! Neal! Why? Why is this happening to him?_

Kate hammered on the door until she had no energy left to do so, and sunk to the ground sobbing, knowing there was nothing she could do.

_"...just in case..."_ The words found themselves to the front of her mind, and Kate suddenly knew what Nicholas had been on the verge of saying. Just in case Larkin doesn't talk. Agent Kane was going to torture her, too! She found her way back to the mattress, and wrapped her arms around her legs. As hard as she tried not to, all Kate could think about was Neal, and what he must be going through.

*****

Neal had lost track of time long ago, falling into the folds of his own personal Hell as the poison tore at him from the inside. It could have been days, weeks, months for all he knew, but eventually the torture stopped, and Neal was just glad those anguished screams no longer filled the air. His throat was raw, but he still refused to believe that such inhuman noises could come from him.

He was soaked with sweat, which dripped down his face and mixed with the tears that had fallen, unchecked, in the past hours. He thought he was going to be sick, but he was too weak even for that. All Neal wanted was for the spinning to stop, the clouds that crept around the edges of his vision to go away, and the searing pain throughout his body to cease.

Mulligan stared down at him with a satisfied look.

"They really don't know how to train agents anymore, do they? I would have thought with all that screaming, you would have let something slip, but maybe I underestimated you."

The man's voice seemed to get farther and farther away, and Neal blinked up at the hazy figure, trying to make sense of what he was saying - it was getting harder and harder to concentrate. The pain began to dull until he could no longer feel it. In fact, he couldn't feel much of anything anymore - his entire body had gone numb. Whiteness completely clouded Neal's vision, and he felt any remaining energy in his body leave him as his head slumped over to the side.

_So this is what it's like to die. _Neal thought groggily before passing out completely.

*****

Agent Ernie Kane strode down the corridor, put out that he had to go running off to see what one of his agents thought was so important. He had secretly hoped to watch Mulligan's session with Larkin, but there would always be time for that later. Right now, he was seeking out Agent Gordon, and quickly found him in the monitoring room. The agent did not waste any time, pointing to one of the screens.

"Our tech agents intercepted this earlier today from a camera at a stoplight in Burbank."

The footage showed a man who could have been none other than Bryce Larkin, swaggering into a frozen yogurt shop. Agent Kane stared for a moment, no doubt in his mind that it was, indeed, the agent the Ring thought they had in their custody.

"Son of a bitch! We've been set up! The man we have is a decoy!"

Kane sent a stool sailing across the room and crashing into the wall.

"Sir, how can you be sure? And if so, what do you suggest we do?" Agent Gordon asked cautiously.

"The Ring has been aware of CIA activity in the Burbank area. They must have a base set up there, and from the looks of it, the real Larkin just walked into it."

"What if the man on the tape is the decoy? This could just be a trap."

"That's a chance we're going to have to take, but I think it will pay off. That man is Agent Larkin, I'm positive. Now, I am going to hand-pick six men to send to that yogurt shop. That footage is less than two hours old, and there is no sign of him leaving. I want you to listen very carefully to the instructions that I am about to give you. Take the lookalike, take the girl, and kill them! I don't care how, but it needs to be done. All I want is for you to get out any information you think they might have."

"I'm sorry sir, but the girl too? Isn't she Agent Moreau's d-"

"I have told you what I want done, and I expect you to do it. You are a Ring agent, and a job of Ring agents is to kill without regret."

"Killing them is not what I'm worried about. When Agent Moreau finds out, we are all as good as dead."

"I will take care of Robert, you just deal with the task at hand."

Agent Gordon left to carry out his task, and Kane alerted the six men he had picked to send out. If all went well, the Ring would be rid of the two decoys, as well as Agent Moreau, and gain a CIA agent full of government intel.

_Today is going to be a good day._ Agent Kane thought, _A very good day indeed._

()0()0()

***_means burning venom in Latin, or at least I think it does... =P_**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N- Only two chapters left I think (excluding this one). I'm thinking there will be the wrap up, and then an epilogue. I'm really sorry about the wait. I'm just lazy and stupid for dragging this out so long. Thank you all for being so patient and sticking with the story!

**Present Time:**

Upon seeing the six Ring agents enter the Orange Orange, everyone in Castle drew there guns, with the obvious exception of Mozzie. If he had not felt uncomfortable enough before, he did now. Colonel Casey jumped right into organizing a tactical plan, and fluently gave directions to everyone in the room.

"Larkin, take Agent Burke and Agent Jones and head around back; you'll be going in through the side door. Walker, you know what to do. Carmichael and I are staying down here until everyone is in position, then, on my signal, we go in and take these SOB's down."

"We shouldn't have to use deadly force unless it's absolutely necessary, but all the same, we have to make sure at least one of them is well enough to lead us to the base." Bryce pointed out - more as a reminder to Casey than anything.

"I know this is all very sudden, and it's a lot to ask for you to endanger your lives like this..."

"Listen, Agent Walker, Neal is my friend. I know he would do the same for me, so lets quit the chitchat and find him before it's too late."

Peter didn't mean to come off sounding so rude, but he was sick of sitting on his hands. It was high time they got somewhere.

"I understand. Let's not waste any more time then."

"Don't worry, Peter," Jones said as they followed Bryce, "We're gonna get Neal back."

"Yeah," Peter replied firmly, "We sure as hell are."

A few minutes later, as they edged around the side of the building, Bryce broke the tense silence that had fallen over them.

"Have you known him long?"

"Huh?" Peter was a little taken aback at the sudden attempt at a conversation.

"Caffrey. How long have you known him? Everyone seems to care about him a lot."

Jones and Peter exchanged looks, both smiling slightly.

"We've known him a while. Spent the better part of three years chasing him, and even when he was in prison, Neal always sent out birthday cards."

"Yeah, and he managed to charm almost everyone in the White Collar Unit less than a week after he started consulting. He's a good guy."

By this time they had reached the side door of the Orange Orange. The men had closed the blinds on the windows, but there were still enough gaps for the three of them to see through.

"How will we get in? I thought I saw them lock the doors when they first entered."

"You underestimate the CIA. The doors can be locked and unlocked from Castle."

_Of course they can._ Peter thought to himself.

000000

"You stay put."

Back in Castle, Casey addressed Mozzie, who had been keeping what he designated as a safe distance as he watched the agents.

"Like I planned on doing otherwise..." Mozzie commented, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. He was growing increasingly anxious with each passing minute. Mozzie knew dangerous people when he saw them, and he did not like the idea of the two Suits getting in a shootout with the six men he was watching on the monitor. He shuddered and turned his attention to an interesting piece of lint on his coat sleeve.

Figuring Bryce, Peter, and Jones had been given enough time to get into position, Sarah stuck the gun in her waistband, nodded to Casey, and trotted up the stairs that led to the exit. Sarah hoped they could subdue the men and get information on where Caffrey was before it was too late. But if the Ring was sending agents to the Orange Orange, Bryce must have been spotted somewhere, and that would not be good for the man they mistook for him. She hoped the FBI agents were prepared for bad news, just in case.

Shaking the rest of the thoughts from her head, Sarah appeared from the behind the corner, acting the part of a cheerful employee.

"Hi there! Welcome to the Orange Orange, what can I get for you gentlemen?"

"We want Bryce Larkin." One of the men said, pointing his gun directly in her face.

From where they had been watching from the side door, Peter and Jones took a simultaneous step forward, their FBI training telling them to go to Sarah's aid, but Bryce stopped them.

"Not yet; Sarah knows what she's doing, believe me. We just have to wait for the signal."

"What is the signal, exactly?"

From where they were crouching, Bryce, Jones, and Peter could see Sarah tighten her grip on the gun in her waistband. She whipped it out and dropped behind the counter just as the man aiming at her fired his gun.

"That would be it." Bryce said just before they busted in through the side door.

**Three Hours From Present Time:**

"Damn it! Get that antidote in here, now!"

Mulligan shouted at the agent he had sent for the medicine. At last he heard the agent coming down the hall, far too slow for his opinion.

"Quickly! I'm loosing him!"

Mulligan snatched the bottle from the agent, knowing it would be his head that would roll if Bryce Larkin died. The boy had stopped breathing, his lips now tinged with blue, and was completely lifeless upon the gurney. Mulligan yanked the needle with the IV tube attached to it out of Neal's arm, speedily replacing it with a new one as he injected him with a syringe full of the antidote.

He congratulated himself for thinking to have the antidote for the poison prepared, but given the current state of the young man, it might do little good. There was only a very weak pulse, and Larkin still was not breathing. He had no idea how he was going to explain to Agent Kane that he had killed his subject without obtaining any information first.

Then, thankfully, Mulligan noticed the color coming back into the young man's face and lips, and he suddenly began to gasp for breath. He remained unconscious, but began to breath steadily, and that was good enough for Mulligan.

"Put him in with his girlfriend, I'm sure she's worried about him." Mulligan sneered, how stupid bonds like love were.

From all of the stories he had heard, he thought Agent Larkin would have handled the torture better... And in Mulligan's opinion, what had been done hardly qualified as torture. Nothing had been broken, burned, or cut, but he would have to change that if he wanted answers. And if he couldn't get Larkin to talk after the next session, he would most certainly get him to when the girl was brought along.

00000

As Neal swam in and out of consciousness, he became aware that he was moving, or more appropriately, being moved. He was slumped in between two agents, who were dragging him along a corridor of some sort. Neal tried desperately to stay alert, realizing this might be the only time he had the chance to escape, however, he must have blacked out, because when he finally managed to open his eyes again, he found that the agents were no longer there. Instead, Neal was on a mattress, looking into Kate's worried eyes.

"Hey," Neal whispered in a hoarse voice as tried to sit up, but Kate placed a hand on his chest to keep him from doing so.

"Don't, please, you need to rest."

Neal reluctantly complied, currently more concerned about Kate's injury than any of his own.

"I wasn't the one shot in the head," he murmured, grasping her hand, "I thought I was going to lose you."

"It's... just a graze, I'll be fine, I swear."

Kate had to look away a moment to regain her composure. It was her fault Neal was lying there, deathly pale after what he had been through, and yet he was more concerned about her!

"Oh, Neal, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!"

She flung her arms around him, sobbing. Neal managed to push himself into a sitting position, and hugged her close.

"Kate..."

What could he say? That he didn't care that she had unwittingly brought this upon them? That even as unbearable as the torture was, he would gladly suffer through it as long as she was in his arms by the end of the day? Instead, he remained silent, and cradled her against his chest.

**One Hour From Present Time:**

Nicholas Tebeck froze outside of the monitoring room, having heard Agents Kane and Gordon conferring. He knew better than anyone not to listen in on private conversations, but he was already there, and his curiosity got the best of him. That, and he felt he needed to fill his head with something to keep him from replaying his conversation with Kate.

There was a crash from the room that would have made anyone else jump, but as a trained agent, this only caused Nicholas to listen in more closely.

"...how can you be sure? And if so, what do you suggest we do?" He could hear Agent Gordon ask, voice cautious.

"The Ring has been aware of CIA activity in the Burbank area. They must have a base set up there, and from the looks of it, the real Larkin just walked into it."

This puzzled Agent Tebeck, but he could not think on it long before Agent Gordon began to speak in reply to Kane.

"What if the man on the tape is the decoy? This could just be a trap."

"That's a chance we're going to have to take, but I think it will pay off. That man is Agent Larkin, I'm positive. Now, I am going to hand-pick six men to send to that yogurt shop. That footage is less than two hours old, and there is no sign of him leaving. I want you to listen very carefully to the instructions that I am about to give you: Take the lookalike, take the girl, and kill them! I don't care how, but it needs to be done. All I want is for you to get out any information you think they might have."

"I'm sorry sir, but the girl too? Isn't she Agent Moreau's d-"

Kane must have interrupted him, but Tebeck was no longer listening. His head buzzed as he took in what Agent Kane had just said. He was going to kill Kate? The only child of Robert Moreau, and Nicholas' own goddaughter?

Nicholas quickly turned back the way he had come from, before Kane and Gordon discovered his presence right outside the door. He had to save her; he could care less about Larkin, they could have hi- Wait. Hadn't they said something about the real Larkin being in Burbank? It now made sense as to why Kate had called him by a different name. That still did not change anything, he was thinking as he walked briskly down the hall to the room Kate was locked in. She was his first priority, and he would not risk her life taking the extra time to find the man mistaken for Larkin.

He glanced both ways down the hall once he got to the door, and when he could see no one in sight, Nicholas used his key to open the door.

000000

Neal and Kate looked up alarmed at the same time when they heard the key in the lock. They exchanged a quick glance before turning their eyes back to the door and steeling themselves against what might happen next. The door opened, and when Kate saw the man who stepped through, she let out a small sigh of relief.

"Nicholas."

"Kate, you have to get out of here, now!"

He stepped through the door, and Neal and Kate rose to their feet, the former cautiously studying the man. Neal was not likely to put Kate in danger by blindly following a possible Ring agent - even if it appeared he was there to free them.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"Neal, it's okay," Kate said, her hand finding his, "Nicholas is my godfather, we can trust him."

However, Neal was not the only one who was distrustful. Tebeck was still not completely convinced that the man before him was not Bryce Larkin. Because of this, his worry for Kate's safety increased, and the urgency of the situation presented itself once more.

"We must leave. Kane has sent Agent Gordon to kill you, and he's on his way."

Neal felt he had no choice. At the moment, this was the best chance they had to escape.

"Fine," he consented, "Let's go."

Tebeck lead Neal and Kate down one hallway after other, each with the same, generic, concrete walls. Neal limped slightly from the bullet graze on his leg from the night Kate had tried to help him escape from her father. He still couldn't believe the man was alive and working for the same people who were trying to kill his daughter. What kind of father was he?

**Time Unknown:**

He was close now, very close. All Agent Moreau had to do was watch closely for the entrance to the base. It was under a rock processing plant, but the way in was a few miles past it. The Ring didn't want to attract attention to themselves by starting the tunnel too close. Robert scanned the uneven ground for the entrance, spotting it just in time.

He turned sharply off of the road; the truck bouncing over the rough terrain before it glided smoothly onto the paved road that sloped downward. Robert floored it as his truck disappeared beneath the earth onto the underground road that led to the base where his daughter was. It was only a matter of minutes before he pulled the vehicle to a stop just before reaching the opening into the base.

Moreau didn't want to be recognized by anyone who would alert Kane to his presence, so he left the truck out of sight and scanned the area for agents before making his way into the base. It was not a large facility, however, the hallways that fed into the main area were enough to confuse him somewhat. It would be easy to get turned around, but Robert had been there two or three times- enough to remember where most of the turns would take him.

Little did Robert know that one turn would soon bring him face to face with a scene that he would never forget.

**Present Time:**

Jones was not sure what to expect when he, Peter, and Bryce burst in through the side door at the same time as Casey and Chuck came in from the entrance to Castle. He knew that this was way over the FBI's head, but was still honored in being chosen to bring Neal home. He also knew that he was very much worried their lives. Perhaps not so much for the agents - Jones had a feeling they could easily take care of themselves - but for his life and Peter's and Neal's - wherever the poor kid was.

It had definitely not been as easy to subdue the Ring agents as they had suspected. Peter and Jones were used to suspects complying immediately as soon as they yelled "FBI, guns on the ground!" However, they got the opposite result, and were fired upon instead, and were forced to dive behind the counter. Luckily, no one was hit, and the assailants were distracted when Casey and Chuck ended up behind them.

Peter could only blink in surprise as he watched Carmichael single-handedly disarm the six men in a matter of seconds. He never would have thought the kid capable of that, and wondered what his secret was. At the same time, he was a little disappointed - it looked like the extra guns of the FBI would not be needed at this point.

While the others had their guns trained on the Ring agents, Casey and Sarah made sure they were all handcuffed and relieved of their weapons.

"Well, what is this? The FBI getting mixed up into CIA and NSA business? How careless of you."

The man who spoke was obviously the one in charge of the team, and he didn't seem to be threatened by his current situation.

"One of you is going to take us to the base you have just come from. We already know it's under a rock processing plant, but someone needs to show us the way"

"And what makes you think we're going to take you there, Agent Walker?"

"I wouldn't start that, if I were you," Bryce said before she could reply, "You'd be surprised what she can make you do."

Jones could have sworn that was pure Caffrey right there in that statement. How were they not related?

"Agent Walker isn't the only one you should worry about," Peter added, "You people have my friend, and if you don't take us to him, I swear, there will be hell to pay."

"I'd listen to them." Casey shrugged to the man.

"You've got to be kidding me," the agent laughed, "Having an FBI agent threaten me is really the best you can do?"

"I don't know, Agent Cole, I hear it's taken less for you to talk."

After remaining silent since the takedown, Chuck spoke up.

"What are you talking about?"

By the way Cole responded, he knew exactly what Chuck was getting at.

"The Ring wouldn't be too happy to find out you were selling information to the CIA, would they?"

This statement stirred up the five other Ring operatives, and they looked accusingly at Cole. He contemplated for a moment before responding.

"Fine, but the only thing you'll find when you get there is a body."

"You son of a-" Peter took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, "You will take us to him, now."

"If you insist, but it's too late. As soon as Kane found out he was a fake, he sent a man to kill him. That was at least one, two hours ago. Your friend is dead."

Peter felt his heart drop to his shoes. No, he refused to believe it! Neal could talk his way out of anything, he would be okay. But Peter could not shake that sinking feeling.

"Damnit!" Bryce swore, and everyone turned to look at him.

"Sarah, you remember Ernie Kane, don't you?"

"Who doesn't?" She said darkly.

"Can't say I do." Jones said, still a bit shaken from Cole's statement about Neal.

"Mind filling us in on what's going on here," Peter began, "This man has just told us Neal has been killed, and I would really like to prove him wrong."

Jones noticed Carmichael get a sort of glazed look on his face, and was surprised when the young man jumped right in with an answer.

"Agent Ernie Kane. Really bad guy. He's been after Bryce for some time-" here, Bryce gave a 'what can I say' look "-and has agents constantly on the lookout. He's killed a few people who have been mistaken for his target, so he became more cautious. Kane had Robert Moreau set his daughter up with the next man they came across. Apparently, he looked and acted enough like Bryce to be kidnapped and taken to the base."

"You're forgetting that I've had a run-in with Kane before. Caffrey must have done a good job convincing him he was me to have stayed alive this long, but why? Anyone else would have insisted they had the wrong man."

"Kate."

"I thought I told you to stay put." Casey growled.

No one had noticed Mozzie standing behind the counter.

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious? Kate must be with him. Why else would he lie, unless he knew she was in immediate danger."

"That actually makes sense," Peter turned to Cole, "Was there a girl there, too?"

"Kane wanted her killed as well."

Peter rubbed a weary hand over his face.

"So where does this leave us?"

"With Agent Moreau. We can get him on our side if cares at all about his daughter."

"Agent Burke, even if it's too late for Caffrey, we can still take down the men responsible."

"It won't be too late. Now, you," Peter pointed at Cole, "Take us to the base."

**00000**

"We're almost out. As soon as we get above ground, we'll get in contact with your father. He'll be glad to hear you're okay."

"Thank you, Nicholas, we'd be dead without you."

"Yeah, well we're not out yet... And I'd rather not run into more people with more guns."

Tebeck turned to Neal, who had not let go of Kate's hand since they left the room.

"Don't worry, Mr.-?"

"Caffrey."

"Mr. Caffrey. There are only about twelve to fifteen agents located here in all, including myself and the ones Agent Kane sent out to attempt to capture the real Agent Larkin. The chances of us being spotted by one of them before we make it out is slim to none."

He peered around a corner as he spoke, and it would hopefully be the last one they would have to round.

"Really? You wouldn't be willing to take a bet on that, would you?"

Tebeck wondered what Caffrey could possibly mean, but in the pit of his stomach, he knew. All of the twelve to fifteen Ring agents had miraculously gotten the drop on them without making a sound. Actually, there were only about ten in all, Ernie Kane included, but that made little difference when they were all armed.

"Damn. I _really_ hate guns."

Neal pushed Kate behind him as the three of them were backed against the wall, and she let a few very unladylike words fly at Kane.

"My father will kill you Ernie!"

"I doubt he will ever get the chance. As soon as the other agents get back with Larkin, we're moving to another base that only I and a few close agents will know about. As for you, Agent Tebeck, I can't say I'm surprised. You were getting close to the end of your life as an agent anyway, so think of this as early retirement. I don't even know your real name," Kane said to Neal, "But no hard feelings, I hope."

Kane backed up, standing out of the way of the other agents.

"Kill them."

Neal and Kate tightened their grip on each other, finding some comfort in being together. Nicholas Tebeck only wished he could have saved his goddaughter. Caffrey seemed like a nice guy; if it were at all possible, he would have saved them both.

Down the hallway, Robert Moreau rounded the corner, the sight before him making his blood run cold. He saw his best friend, his daughter, and Larkin backed against a wall, guns pointed right at them by the other agents. Kane was off to the side, watching what was about to occur.

"KATE!" He yelled as he ran down the hall. Kane looked startled, and Neal, Kate, and Nicholas felt a small glimmer of hope in that split second.

Then, the first gunshot went off.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay, so it look me a little longer than one day to get this chapter up, but I'm just glad it didn't take me another four months! Oh, and sorry about the cliffhanger on the last chapter, but I couldn't resist =P.**

The first shot that rang out was from one of Robert Moreau's guns. It was followed by several more fired by the other agents, with the exception of Ernie Kane, who took the first bullet in the side. Robert was unable to finish him off, forced to find cover from the spray of bullets as well as not wanting to risk hitting Kate in the crossfire.

When the gunfire started, Neal dropped to the ground, pulling Kate with him and sheltering her with his body. The Ring agents were focused on Robert, and that gave them enough time to slip around the corner of the hallway behind them. Every part of Neal told him to run, but he stayed on the ground, protecting Kate. He could not tell if Nicholas was with them or not. Everything was a blur; the shooting having only lasted for a matter of seconds.

When it stopped, Neal cautiously peered around the corner, not sure he would like what he might see. At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Maybe whatever poison that Mulligan pumped into him was messing with his head. With an arm around Kate, Neal took in the scene before him. The first thing he noticed was that all of the Ring agents were on the ground, most because of injuries and some having just given up.

There was a very beautiful woman with blonde hair who captured his attention, but not for long, for there were others there as well. A young man who looked more like he would work in an electronics store than hold a gun, a man who looked like he could kill with his bare hands yet still used a gun, another man who had his back turned as he helped cuff the bad guys yet seemed strangely familiar, and - wait. That couldn't be right. What were Peter and Jones doing here? Had they really come to rescue him after all?

"Neal!"

Peter looked like he had aged five years, yet it was evident a load had been lifted off his shoulders when he laid eyes on the young man.

"Thank God." He heard Jones breath a sigh of relief as well.

Peter walked over and clapped him on the shoulder, grinning ear to ear.

"Oh, what the hell." Peter shrugged and pulled Neal into a hug.

"Wow, Peter, you really do care." Neal said, slightly taken aback.

"Hello, Agent Burke." Kate smiled shyly.

"What a surprise seeing you here." Peter said, not surprised at all.

Neal looked around, but didn't see Robert or Nicholas anywhere. He guessed they split as soon as Peter and the others showed up. But he did see yet another person he hadn't expected to.

"Mozzie? What are you doing here?"

"He insisted." Peter sounded exasperated.

"I'm offended you would even _consider _that I would stay behind and trust someone else to rescue my friend."

Neal was pulled into another hug, this time by his quirky friend, and patted Mozzie's back awkwardly.

"I hope it isn't like this when we get back to New York," He said jokingly, "Um, where are we, anyway?"

"California. In the middle of nowhere if you want to get more specific."

The voice that answered caused chills to run up Neal's spine and the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. He looked past Peter and Mozzie to see a young man walking toward them who, for possibly the first time ever, left Neal completely speechless.

"You must be Neal Caffrey," the mirror image of himself held out a hand, "Bryce Larkin."

Neal found himself shaking hands with his mirror image. He felt like he was in the Twilight Zone. Once he got over the initial shock of meeting the man the Ring had mistaken him for, Neal wished he could have seen Peter, Mozzie, and Jones' reaction when they met Bryce. It must have been something.

"Wow, you guys really do look exactly alike," Chuck had introduced himself to Neal and Kate, and was now looking from Bryce to Neal, "Actually, you're shorter."

It was true, Bryce was just an inch or two shorter than Neal*. Funny that out of all their similarities, their height was the only thing that didn't quite match. Well, that and the strong difference in opinion about guns.

"I should probably go call General Beckman now." Chuck said, about to excuse himself.

"Already took care of it," Casey approached the group, sending a nod and grunt combination in Neal's direction, "A team is already on there way here. You snooze, you lose, pal." He said the last part to Chuck before leaving to keep an eye on the agents.

"Interesting guy." Neal said.

"I bet you're ready to come home." Peter said.

Neal savored the thought of being back in June's apartment - a place he thought he would never see again - but now, he wouldn't be alone.

"Yeah, _we're_ ready," Neal replied as he and Kate looked lovingly at each other.

00000

Neal and Kate didn't say anything about Robert or Nicholas, but had a feeling the men would find a way to contact them to make sure Kate was alright. True to Colonel Casey's word, the team sent in by Beckman arrived promptly to cart off the Ring agents to a secure facility, having already picked up the ones at the Orange Orange. They didn't know if Ernie Kane would make it or not, but they all secretly hoped he wouldn't. Neal could say he was okay all he wanted, but that still didn't keep Kate from hoping against hope that Mulligan would get a taste of his own medicine wherever they were taking him. She was only slightly ashamed to admit that she wanted badly to attack the man as he was being taken away. If not for Neal by her side, she would have.

They all rode back to Castle together in the epitome of a government issued van, but fortunately this one had comfy seats. The conversation was certainly interesting, each person telling their side of the story from their point of view. Peter had a newfound respect for Bryce. He hadn't known that the agent had been deep undercover in France when they had called for his help. Jones thought the White Collar Unit could use a badass like John Casey, but also thought it would be funny to see the reactions of everyone if they saw Neal and Bryce in the same room together. Utter confusion, he was sure.

Mozzie realized he had a small crush on Sarah, but was just as soon turned off by the fact that she was a Fed. Sarah thought Neal and Kate made a cute couple, and the way they looked at each other made her reach for Chuck's hand. Casey noticed this, sighed when he thought of the life he gave up to serve his country, and then changed his train of thought by deciding he didn't trust Haversham. Far to sneaky, and a conspiracy theorist.

Bryce was glad Neal had been found alive. And he wondered if he would ever find someone the way Neal found Kate and Chuck found Sarah. Bryce was hopeful. He could be very charming.

Everyone formed their opinions about each other on the ride back. They shared a few stories - mostly about the White Collar Division, because there were many things the CIA considered classified.

Neal was glad they made it to Burbank relatively soon, he desperately needed a steamy shower and change of clothes, and so did Kate. More importantly, they needed their wounds cleaned and treated - the graze on Neal's leg would need stitches, but he wanted to make sure Kate was taken care of first.

As soon as everyone cleaned up, Peter called Hughes about the good news as well as Elizabeth and June. Both times he put Neal on the phone, who held it slightly away from his ear because of the women's ecstatic exclamations. Then, Peter booked tickets for everyone going back to New York. The flight was for Wednesday at 11:45, so they would all have a few days to recuperate.

"Everyone in the office can't wait to have you back." Peter said to Neal once he was off the phone.

"Can't wait to see them. I hope they didn't have too much trouble on the cases without my help."

"Oh, I'm sure they did well enough. Even if they are amateurs." Peter replied sarcastically.

About that time, the screen flicked on, and General Beckman was starring down at everyone in Castle.

"Well, I'm glad to see everyone back in one piece. Congratulations; you all had a part in successfully shutting down one of the Ring's bases, as well as the capture of prominent Ring operatives."

"It really helped that we were a team; working together with the FBI got the job done faster."

"I wasn't finished, Carmichael," Beckman frowned at Chuck, still using his cover name, "But yes, you're right, the FBI handled this very well... with the help of... others," She glanced at Mozzie, "So thank you. Also, Agent Larkin, we appreciate your coming out of undercover work to lend a hand, your help is always welcome."

The general furrowed her brow when her agents and the FBI team coughed awkwardly.

"I think you mean to be addressing him." Neal said, looking in Bryce's direction with a slight smile.

"Oh. My apologies. If that is all, I need to go now; I have a lunch date."

The screen went black as Beckman signed off, and Peter frowned slightly.

"Is that how all of your conversations with her go?"

"More or less," Chuck said, "By the way, Casey and I should probably be getting back to our cover jobs now."

"It's never easy for Big Mike when the only two sane and functioning employees are gone at the same time." Casey added. They couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

00000

The next couple days Neal spent recovering from the ordeal were possibly the best of his life, simply because he had a better appreciation for the freedom he had. It wasn't much at the moment, though. They couldn't leave Castle, of course, and Bryce stuck around too since he could find nothing better to do. He put off his flight back to France until the same time as the one to New York so he could make sure they got to the airport safely.

The time until then was interesting, seeing as Neal had to borrow some of Bryce's clothes. It wasn't like they went out of their way to differentiate themselves, either, finding humor in the agents' uncertainty when they went to talk to one of them. They couldn't trick Mozzie or Kate, but it was no surprise there. Everyone found a way to tell them apart when they noticed that Neal could never seem to take his eyes off of Kate. It was as if he felt that looking away might cause her to disappear.

Although he still had some nightmares, Kate would always be there by his side, and this time, she wasn't going anywhere. He felt whole.

It was soon Wednesday, late in the morning. They had just reached the terminal with thirty minutes to spare, and were about to part ways with Bryce. Jones had disappeared into a gift shop to buy something, and shortly re-joined them. He was holding a disposable camera.

"What do you say? I know this isn't exactly the trip to remember, but what will the office think when they see two Caffrey's?"

Mozzie was the one who took the picture, seeing as he was the only one not wanting to be in it. With the large window of the airport behind them, Peter stood next to Neal, Kate was next to him with Bryce on her other side, and Jones beside him. There was no doubt that the intriguing picture would hang on the wall of the White Collar Unit, as well as a wall in Neal's apartment, for a very long time.

A couple pictures were taken, and for good measure Neal reached around Kate and held up two fingers behind Peter's head for one of them. They had to know who was who, right?

"Neal, did you-"

"Of course not, Peter! Would never even think of it."

"Hmph."

Everyone said their goodbye's to Bryce as he left to catch his flight, and Peter and Jones went to find something to eat. Peter was reluctant to let Neal out of his sight, but Mozzie and Kate were with him, and Peter's growling stomach ultimately made the decision for him.

"You know, we could take any plane we wanted and never look back." Kate thought out loud.

"I know."

"I bet Italy's nice this time of year."

"Kate, I know what you're thinking, but trust me, New York is the only place I want to go right now."

"You still have almost three years tethered to the FBI. Are you sure you want to go back?"

"It's not nearly as bad as you might think. You heard Peter, they missed me, and it's not just the agents. I couldn't do that to June and Elizabeth."

Kate leaned her head against his shoulder.

"As long as that's what you want, I'll go with you. I promise I'll never leave again."

"I hate to interrupt this," Mozzie gestured to Neal and Kate, "But if we don't find the suits and start boarding, we're going to miss our plane, and I really don't want to be stuck here much longer. The sooner we get back to June and her wine, the better. I would really like to forget this ever happened."

"You're not the only one, trust me. But Mozz, I'm proud of you. Swallowing your fears and spending days with a room full of government operatives all for me? Must have been quite a time."

"You don't even know the half of it." Mozzie replied.

**A/N: I don't know why, but for some reason it just seemed like Bryce would be shorter than Neal. Of course in the real world, that's crazy talk, but that's why I love fanfiction! Epilogue up next!**


End file.
